Emily's Choice (21 page)

Emily watched
her walk gingerly around the pool of blood on the floor and then step lightly
over Edward’s body. She half expected his arm to shoot up and grab hold of Lila’s
ankle.

Barely
suppressing a shudder, she turned her head and began working at her restraints
again. Her hands had fallen asleep, and as she began to move them, the pins and
needles vied for first place in the pain department.

She wanted
to cry. Lila was right. Her pride really would be her downfall. He’d been
telling the truth all along and she’d just ignored it. Ignored him and everyone
else who’d tried to tell her.

Was it too
late? Could she fix it? Would he forgive her? After the words he’d spoken to
her this afternoon, she wasn’t sure. He’d sounded finished with her and the
whole situation.

She cursed
herself for wasting all this time. She could have had the family she wanted.
She could have been happy. She could have been loved.

She could
have had Jason.

Jason pulled
up in front of the
Camancho
Ranch and jumped out of
the truck. He took the porch steps two at a time and didn’t bother to knock on
the door.

“Tyler!” he
bellowed from the entrance.

Clint popped
his head out of the living room and eyed Jason warily. “Something the matter,
son?”

“Where’s
Tyler? I need to speak to him.”

“He went
home; Sophie thinks she’s in labor.”

Clint’s
sister, Elizabeth, came out of the living room to stand next to him. “I should
go help. Her mother isn’t expected to arrive until the day after tomorrow.”

“Shit,”
Jason said, looking down at his feet. “Perfect timing.”

“Tyler said
he’d call if they need you. Just sit tight, Lizzy.” He turned to Jason. “Something
I can help you with?”

“No, sir.
Sorry to disturb you.” He turned to Elizabeth. “Ma’am, have a good night.”

He turned
and walked out. Climbing into his truck, he tried to center himself. It couldn’t
be helped. He had to speak with Tyler, baby or no baby.

He waited
until he was out of their driveway before he hit the gas and sped to Tyler’s
house on the other side of the property.

All the
lights were on in the house, and Tyler’s three boys were running wild in the
front yard. They pounced on Jason as soon as he stepped from the truck.

“Mommy’s
having a baby tonight,” Noah, the youngest at four, informed him. “Mommy wants
a girl, but we hope it’s another boy. Right, guys?”

“Right,”
they both answered.

“Where’s
your mom and dad now?” Jason asked.

The oldest,
Matt, was trying to knock Jason off his feet. “Can we wrestle you?”

“No, I need
to speak with your dad.”

Matt sighed.
“He’s busy with Mom. Sent us outside and told us if we come in before he’s
ready, we won’t be able to go to the rodeo next weekend.”

Jason
grimaced. That was a serious threat. The rodeo was a big deal in these parts,
and he knew most boys waited with bated breath to go. Their favorite was the
bull riding. He remembered watching as a child and for the longest time that
was what he wanted to be when he grew up.

“All right,
boys. I really need to go inside and talk to your dad. I’ll see you in a few
minutes.”

The middle
child, Adam who was five and very precocious, let out a low whistle. “Good
luck, man. Dad’s in a mood.”

Jason
grinned. “You would be too if you had a baby on its way.”

“I don’t
want kids,” he informed Jason. “Just dogs. Lots of dogs.”

Jason
laughed. “We’ll see if you’re still saying that in twenty years.”

He turned
and headed up the stairs of the front porch. He knocked loudly on the door.

“Just go in.
They’re upstairs in the bedroom,” Matt called to him.

Jason nodded
his thanks and entered the house. He could hear anxious voices upstairs and
walked up. “Hey, Ty!” he said loudly.

Tyler stuck
his head out of the bedroom door. “Uh, what’s up?”

“Sorry to
barge in. I know you’re up to your eyes in a situation right now. But I really
need a minute.”

“Babe, you okay?
I’ll be right back. Swear!”

He stepped
out of the room and shut the door behind him.

“Is it
really time?” Jason asked.

“Seems so.
Waiting on Lizzy and Clint to get here. I should know what I’m doing, but I
freeze up and panic every time. I’m useless.” He chuckled nervously.

“Okay,
listen. I’m sorry, but I need some info, and you can’t panic and I don’t want
your dad to know.”

“Whoa, man,
you’re freaking me out.”

“I know,
sorry. Listen.
Em
was out drinking with Gina and
Phoebe tonight.”

“Yeah, I
know.”

“Right, but
what you don’t know is Emily’s missing.”

“What?” he
asked, eyes wide.

Jason
nodded. “She went outside for some air and disappeared. The guy that showed up
today. Do you know him? Do you remember what he looked like?”

“You think
he had something to do with her disappearance?”

“I don’t
know, but it seems odd, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. Yeah.
Look.” He glanced at the door to the bedroom. Sophie was moaning inside, and
Jason knew he only had a minute left with Tyler.

“Anything
you can tell me would be helpful. We’re going to find her and maybe she’s just
off getting herself centered. But no one has heard from her and she hasn’t
called my father once to check on Sadie.”

Another loud
moan drifted through the door.

“Tyler!”
Sophie yelled through the door.

“He was
about my height. Dark brown hair and light brown eyes. He was dressed nicely,
richly. Big city, I’m thinking. Definitely not from around here. He sounded
like Grace did when she first moved here. New England accent. He was driving a
car that looked a lot like Lila’s. That’s all I got. I
gotta
go,” he said, pointing toward the door.

“Yeah, man,
thanks.” He darted his eyes to the door. “Good luck.”

Tyler
sighed, clearly torn between his wife and his sister. “Keep me in the loop.”

“I will.”

“Better get
out of here.
Dad’ll
be here any minute.”

“I’m out.”
Jason ran down the stairs and out to the truck.

“Ready to
wrestle?” Matt asked.

“Can’t, bud,
but your Gramps will be here any minute.”

“Oh, he’ll
wrestle!” Noah shouted. “Gramps is always up for a match.”

Jason jumped
in his truck, and speeding down the driveway, he called Gina.

“Jase? Did
you talk to Ty?”

“Yeah, and
his wife is having her baby tonight.”

“What?
Seriously?”

“Yeah,
perfect timing, right?”

“Wow.”

“He
remembered the guy. Edward. Said he was dressed nicely, big city. Had an accent
like Grace’s. Drove a car like Lila’s. Brown hair and brown eyes.”

“I don’t
know if that’s enough for Fred to do anything with. Where are you?”

“Just
leaving Tyler’s. Do you know where Lila’s parents are staying?”

“Hope
mentioned they were staying in town at the B and B. They said something about
Lila having to work and already having company staying with her.”

“Interesting,”
he said slowly. “Who could be staying with her? I’m going to see them.”

“You do
realize the time, right? They’re on east coast time; they’re probably sleeping.”

“Your point?
If
Em’s
in trouble, I don’t care who I wake up.”

“Right. Okay,
I’ll head to the station and see if I can light a fire under Fred’s butt. See
if the deputies found out anything at the bar.”

“Let me
know.” He hung up and tossed his phone on the seat next to him.
Edward
.
That named sounded slightly familiar. It hung back, just on the edges of his
memory. He could swear he’d heard Lila talk about an Edward before. But when?
And why?

Just then,
his phone rang and he snatched it up. He looked at the caller ID but didn’t
recognize the number. The area code was Boston; he knew because he had Hope and
Emily’s cell numbers programmed into his cell.

He pulled
over to the side of the road and answered the call. “Hello?” he barked into the
phone.

“Jason, it’s
Emily.”

“Emily!
Where are you?”

She wouldn’t
answer him. Instead she kept telling him that it was over. She didn’t love him
and she didn’t want to see him again. She sounded scared. Her voice wobbled and
cracked—and for someone who was bent on convincing him it was
over,
she did a poor job of it.

“
Em
,” he sighed, trying one last time to get a location or a
clue or something.

“No. It’s
over. I don’t want to hear from you again.” The phone went dead, and he had
half a mind to throw his phone out the window in frustration.

Now more
than ever, he knew something was wrong. Ninety minutes at the most had passed
since she’d disappeared, and with as much as she’d had to drink, she sounded
too sober for the situation. Instead of going to his father’s to pick up Sadie,
she was who knew where trying to convince him she didn’t want to have anything
to do with him.

Not to
mention the fear. He knew fear when he heard it and Emily’s words were drenched
in it. Someone had her. And someone forced her to call him. And based on the
phone number, it was a good bet it was this Edward person.

He put the
truck in gear and broke the speed limits to get into town. He was having that
conversation with Lila’s parents; he didn’t care what time it was.

Twenty
minutes later, he pulled up outside the bed and breakfast, and just as he was
getting out of the truck, his phone rang again.

This time he
recognized the number.

“What do you
want, Lila?”

“Now, is
that anyway to talk to your future wife?” she slurred sweetly.

“I don’t
have time for this,” he growled.

“Did you lose
something?” she purred.

He paused on
the porch steps. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Just
curious,” she said.

He could
hear her drinking something before she came back on the line.

“Are you
lonely? Because I’m lonely. I want you to come over. I have a present for you
to unwrap.”

“I can’t
right now. I have something to do.”

“Please,”
she begged. “I miss you. I miss us.”

“There is no
us. There never was,” he roared. “I have to go.”

He hung up
and continued up the steps. He pulled open the door and rang the front desk
bell. He knew the owners; they were from California. They’d moved out here a
few years ago wanting a simpler life. They were friendly and the perfect couple
to own a bed and breakfast. They’d been all over the world in their previous
lives, traveling had been a huge part of their careers. Their children were
grown with families of their own. They truly liked people and loved hearing
their guests’ life stories.

“Jason! How
lovely to see you,” Betty greeted him. “Is everything okay? It’s very late. Do
you need a room?”

“No, ma’am.
I actually need to speak to one of your guests.”

“All of our
guests have gone to bed.”

“I realize
that, ma’am, but it’s important. Emily
Camancho
is
missing and I think Mr. Hillcrest might know the man who took her.”

“I don’t
know. They went to bed a long time ago. I’d hate to wake them if you aren’t
even sure if he knows this person.”

“But if he
does, Betty . . .” He let the sentence hang and watched her eyes soften. “Well,
all right. I can see what you mean. I’ll go up and try to wake them.”

“Thank you,
Betty.”

“Just wait
in the living room over there.” She gestured toward an archway.

Jason walked
over and entered the room. It was an inviting room, with several plush couches
and a fireplace. There were a few bookshelves full of books, and he knew from
experience that every genre of book found a home on those shelves. A
flat-screen TV hung on one of the walls above a stand full of video game
consoles and DVD players. Another bookshelf in the corner housed every board
game imaginable.

It was
definitely a room for living, and he knew why people came from all over to stay
here. Not just for this room, he was sure you could get it at any half-decent
B&B. No, it was the owners and their absolute joy in showing their guests a
good time. They offered several tours of the desert via horseback or jeep. They
had day-trips into Santa Fe and Albuquerque for shopping and sight-seeing.

He broke out
of his reverie when Mr. Hillcrest, Lila’s father, came charging into the room. “What
in the Sam Hill is going on? Why are you here and why am I awake right now?”

Jason held
up his hands. “I’m sorry, sir. I know it’s late, but it was urgent I speak with
you.”

“What’s so
urgent it couldn’t wait until a decent hour of the day?”

“Sir, Emily
Camancho
is missing.”

“Grace’s
stepdaughter?”

“Yes, sir.
She disappeared outside The Dustbowl tonight. Earlier today, she was threatened
by a man and I think he’s from Boston.”

“Son, do you
know how many people live in Boston?”

“I know, I’m
sure it’s a lot. But hear me out. He has brown hair and eyes, he dressed well.
He drove a car similar to Lila’s.”

“What’s his
name?”

“Edward.
That’s all I know.”

“Edward? You
mean Edward Wellington?”

“I don’t
know, sir. I don’t have a last name.”

“Well, I
know he’s here visiting Lila. It’s why we couldn’t stay with her.”

“How long
has he been here?”

“I don’t
know. We don’t communicate with Lila much anymore. But it surprised her mother
and me when she told us he was visiting.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s
the kid who was stalking her in high school. He’s the reason she moved out
here.”

Jason’s eyes
bulged.
That’s
where he’d heard the name Edward before. It had been a
long time, but now he remembered Lila talking about the boy she’d run from and
how she was scared he’d eventually find her.

“I see.” He
nodded. “I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me. I’m sorry to wake
you. And I’m sorry for your loss, sir. Grace was one hell of a woman.”

“That she
was. She was a good match for my brother. It’s too bad his life was cut short.
But she found a good man in Clint. She was happy out here.”

“I best be
off. Good night.”

“I hope you
find the girl. I know Lila doesn’t care for her, but she’s always been nice to
Catherine and me.” Mr. Hillcrest walked out of the room with Jason. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

Jason paused
outside on the porch, collecting his thoughts. Edward Wellington had to be
their guy. He called Gina to give her the information he’d found out.